The invention relates to a wiper apparatus. In a known wiper of this kind (DE 16 55 41 0 A1), the wiper arm and the wiper blade are disposed next to each other as viewed in the direction of the windshield to be wiped and one after the other as seen in the working direction of the wiper apparatus. In this manner, it is possible to achieve a lower overall height for the wiper apparatus than can be done for wipers in which the wiper arm is located over the wiper blade (DE 15 05 397 A1). The lower overall height of the wiper apparatus of this type is advantageous in terms of the lift-off of the wiper blade from the windshield, particularly at high travel velocities.
To ensure that the wiper blade is securely fastened by the joint pin during the wiping operation, in the known wiper arrangement the joint pin, which is disposed laterally on the wiper arm, is provided in its center portion with a ring groove into which, after the wiper blade is mounted on the joint pin, a leaf spring fits at one end, said leaf spring being capable of being deflected by a force and, together with the ring groove side walls, of securely fastening the wiper blade on the wiper arm. The arrangement and configuration of such securing means is cost-intensive because, on the one hand, the joint pin must be provided with a ring groove and, on the other, when the wiper blade is replaced, the new wiper blade must be provided with an appropriate leaf spring.
In another known wiper apparatus (DE 26 40 399 A1), the joint pin and the securing means formed by a hinged bracket are disposed on the same structural component of the wiper apparatus. Because this component is the wiper blade, however, when said blade has to be replaced, both the joint pin and the hinged bracket are lost.
In the wiper apparatus according to the invention, both the securing means and the joint pin are retained when the wiper blade is replaced. The securing means on the wiper blade sidexe2x80x94namely the stopxe2x80x94can be formed by the corresponding side cheek of the wiper blade which is always present and which faces away from the wiper arm. This side cheek does not need to have a special configuration.
A wiper apparatus of particularly low design and thus flow-promoting is obtained when the wiper blade has a strip-shaped, elongated carrying element, made of an elastic material, for a wiping strip that comes in contact with the windshield to be wiped, on whose strip surface which faces away from the windshield is disposed a coupling part belonging to a connecting device and having a bearing recess for the joint pin.
In the configuration of the invention, the securing means of the wiper arm are formed by support regions which in the wiping direction are disposed at a distance from each other and are oriented toward each other, and between which are disposed matching regions of the wiper blade, said matching regions facing away from one another. A cost-effective realization of the inventive idea is attained in this manner.
A particularly robust and thus reliably operating wiper apparatus is obtained when one support region is disposed on a swiveling lever of the wiper arm and the swiveling lever has a shoulder which projects out in the direction of the joint axis and across the wiper blade and at the free end of which is disposed a leg facing the windshield, the side of said leg facing the swiveling lever forming the other support region.
To limit the length of the wiper blade to the required size, the distance from the free end of the wiper arm to the joint axis is smaller than the distance from the free end of the wiper arm to the shoulder.
According to a further development of the invention, viewed in the longitudinal direction the bearing bore is disposed in the coupling part near one end of the same and, furthermore, the coupling part is lower, at least in the region of the shoulder and relative to the carrying element, than in the region of the bearing bore. In other words, the shoulder can be located where the coupling part is lower so that, as a result of the arrangement of the shoulder in the transverse region, the overall height does not need to be increased. The stability of the coupling part in the region of the highly stressed bearing bore is thereby not impaired.
Advantageously, this low region of the coupling part is attained by providing said part in the region of the shoulder disposed on the wiper arm with a groove open at the top and facing away from the carrying element and in which the shoulder crosses the coupling part.
When the wiper arm together with the wiper blade must be moved away from the windshield, for example to replace the wiper blade, an uncontrolled separation of the wiper blade from the wiper arm can be prevented by making the distance, in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade, from the bearing bore over the transverse groove to one end of the wiper blade greater than to the other end of the wiper blade. In this manner, because the center of gravity has been displaced, the half of the wiper blade lying next to the wiper arm is turned toward the shoulder so that the wiper blade comes to rest by itself between the leg of the shoulder and the wiper arm or the swiveling lever thereof where it is secured. Inadvertent separation of the wiper blade from the wiper arm is thus not possible, because for this to happen, the wiper blade would have to be turned toward the wiper arm so as to displace it from the securing region of the leg.
A particularly simple configuration of the matching regions of the wiper blade is obtained when said regions are formed on the two long sides of the coupling part that face one another.
To minimize lateral play between the wiper blade and the support regions of the wiper arm, the distance, measured in the direction of the joint axis, between the matching regions of the wiper blade is adapted to the distance between the support regions of the wiper arm, because in this manner the side walls of the groove absorb at least part of the forces acting on the wiper bladexe2x80x94forces that can arise, for example, as a result of uneven soiling of the windshieldxe2x80x94and thus relieve the load from the joint pin or the bearing pin.
Facilitated guidance of the wiper blade and thus a particularly quiet wiping operation can be achieved when, measured in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade, the width of the shoulder is adapted to the width of the groove.
For a wiper blade which at least in the region of the joint pin has a U-shaped cross-section, whose U-leg faces the windshield, the joint pin can be fastened in simple manner by making said pin pass through the U-leg in a recess in proximity to the wiper blade and fastening said pin on the other U-leg.
Advantages for the bearing position of the wiper apparatus can arise when a separate connecting piece is fastened at the free end of the wiper arm or swiveling lever, said connecting piece being provided with both the joint pin and the securing means for the wiper blade.
When the wiper arm or the swiveling lever thereof are in the form of an injection-molded part, the joint pin can be connected with the wiper blade or the swiveling lever in simple fashion by molding one of its ends to the wiper blade.
Other advantageous features and embodiments of the invention are indicated in the following description of the embodiment examples shown in the attached drawings.